A Tuesday Haiku.

speeding through errands

when I pause for a moment

compelled to look up.

I see sun filtered

through a canopy of red.

nature's beauty in

sharp contrast with the asphalt

beneath my feet. in my head.

I don't think there is any haiku tradition with this 3 verse style - but the 5-7-5 x 2 + 7-7 rhythm seems like the right fit ... so I'm calling it good. and done!

Happy Tuesday!

and p.s. to my gardener friends - these leaves look like oak leaves - are they supposed to be red this time of year?

A Tuesday Haiku.

another day home

quiet, but not alone with

Holly by my side

Thank you for all your get better wishes (more than once!)  I have high hopes to leave the house tomorrow for a dinner out with Katie and Sara and I'm even hoping I can wear makeup! It doesn't hurt to dream big 😉.

A Tuesday Haiku.

pink blossoms, blue skies

then rain and wind leave the ground

covered ... March roars on

Tuesdays with Charlie | Two and a half.

Charlie and I are now into our third year of Tuesdays. Looking back over the archives is a sure reminder that 1) time flies; and 2) having photos and words to document the little steps along the way* is an easy way to lose spend an hour on a Tuesday evening.

Today we were back to our "typical" schedule. I picked him up at 7am and dropped him off just after 5pm. Here's a glimpse into ten hours of toddler time:

a "selfie" to send to his mom

at the library

after nap ... all smiles!

"soccer" ... yes the ground really does slope that much!

a scoop of "ice" and some fabulous people watching at Avalon. oh boy, I can't wait for more of this in the months to come!

and just like that it was time to head home. Another fun day added to the archives. (and whew, glad for a glass of wine and a book. even with a good nap, ten hours of toddler time is tiring!)

*Charlie two years ago (whoa, I'd forgotten about the snow!). and last year.

Tuesdays with Charlie | Valentine's Day.

First Halloween and now Valentine's Day - two holidays made much better* with time (and grandchildren). A few weeks back I noticed that Valentine's Day would fall on a Tuesday and started making plans for heart-shaped pancakes, cookies and (yes) even cucumbers. My plans fell - a little bit - by the wayside when we realized Charlie spending all day with me would mean missing exchanging Valentines at school. Slight change in plans - Charlie went to school in the morning and was there for all the Valentines and Marc and I got to enjoy our favorite morning walk by the lake.

I picked Charlie up from school and we made quick work of baking cookies.

After nap, we decorated. I spread the frosting and Charlie did the sprinkles.

And then we got to eat them. Charlie savored his... and even gave a (chocolate) smile for the camera (I ate mine fast and have to say, Annie's sugar cookies are worth the price).

My next (and last - we ran out of time) holiday activity was a matching game. Construction paper, scissors and glue - Charlie chose the colors and I did the scissors and glue. He had fun with the colors and the "game" and I'm already thinking about more matching games to teach the memory skills. Probably good for both of us!

...and just like that, it was time to go. I felt a little guilty about the cookie so we spent a few minutes at the park in Katie's neighborhood. a little walk. a little swing. a little walk. and I'm pretty sure he was as tired as he ever is on a Tuesday.

I got home and found a Valentine in the mail from Honoré ... and now Marc is cooking something that smells delicious... maybe holidays are simply wasted on the young.

xo, M.

*in all fairness to Marc, he's been a wonderful Valentine for (yikes!) going on 40 years ... it was the younger kid days, and the kid parties and all.that.candy. ...and then all that pressure about the cards, and the roses, and the {everything else} .... that made me a Valentine's Day grinch.

Tuesdays with Charlie | Choosing a Book by Its Cover.

I am happy to report that the library has become a regular part of our Tuesday morning routine. Thankfully there was a break in the rain and we got to walk a little (and count a lot of stairs*) after we parked the car. I had a book on hold, so we had to visit the grown-up floor first. The hold books come with two rubber bands and a slip of paper with ROG; I love that Charlie knows to take off the rubber bands and hand them to a librarian to recycle (next week we'll work on handing over that slip of paper too ;-) 

The book on hold was A Hat for Mrs. Goldman; I reserved it as soon as I saw Juliann's recommendation (we loved it).

But all the other books we read today, Charlie chose ... and, I've got to think, he chose them based on their covers. the color. the size. the illustrations on the cover. (or yikes, maybe just that he liked where they were positioned on the shelves?!?)

Our routine is that I let him wander the stacks and choose two books (today he got to do that three times). Then we read them, he returns them to the "Changed my Mind Cart" and we repeat. I was delighted when he returned one time with two Ezra Jack Keats' books I'd never heard of (The Snowy Day is a regular in our pre-nap story time rotation) but most of the other titles, well ... we came home with three of them.

He chose well. We have real photographs (and trucks!). delightful illustrations. good stories. even rhymes (which are so much fun to read). 

...and all of that made me think about the last book I chose based on its cover. I think I used to do it all the time. back when I used to wander the aisles at Barnes & Noble and bring home a pile of books.  but lately...not so much. I did choose (and love) Nobody's Fool last year because it had flowers on the cover (summer bingo!); but I really can't remember the last time I picked up a book to read just because of its cover. 

How about you? what was the last book you read because of its cover?

*as I typed that, I wonder how OCD it is that I always make a game of counting stairs with Charlie ... the stairs in my house are 6-9-3 and the ones at the library are "more than 20". 

p.s. yes, Charlie wore his hoodie for nap. and yes, he kept his hands in the pockets.

Tuesdays with Charlie | Play (and rest).

When I picked Charlie up this morning, his folks were happy to report that he'd slept in ... 'til 6:15am.  His usual wake-up time is closer to 5:30, so I wasn't quite sure what our day might bring.  We started off with steamed milk and cereal, but he wanted to get upstairs to "play toys". So we did.

I shared this collage on Instagram with the caption "two minutes of toddler time" - seriously y'all - the first photo (building) was at 8:19am and the last (all knocked down and ready to start over) was at 8:21am. two minutes. 

He proceeded at that pace all morning. More legos, puzzles, a book, a trip to the library and then to Whole Foods (pizza! for lunch)

Then we did our usual nap routine - milk and stories (today he chose The Little Engine that Could and Snow Day) - and then sleep.

52 minutes later he woke up. And I decided we both needed a little more rest. Marmie's lap worked perfectly.

And then - my happy little guy was back again. With enough humor to make funny faces for the photo booth.

Here's to naps! and the complete bliss of being two.

Tuesdays with Charlie | At Home.

Tuesdays with Charlie are pretty much a slam-dunk in the "light" category. Our schedule now that Katie is back at work* is 7am - 5pm. Sunrise isn't until well after 7:30 these days, so our immediate priority once we were back here was to walk Holly ... and after that chilly exercise ... steamed milk!

Next he wanted to head upstairs for toys. My mom gave him a subscription to Highlights Five and today we finally had time to see what it was all about. He/we loved it! I was delighted he knew about the Hidden Pictures and how to find them. He also aced the free app that we downloaded. (and the two Dr. Seuss books we re-discovered.)

We had lunch "in" (he opted for mac'n'cheese ... and I had all the fixings for that here) and even though he snacked on what we were cooking the entire time, he still almost cleaned his plate.

Next, nap. Stories, milk and a few selfies to say "Hi!" to his mom.

(a new lock screen photo for me is icing on the cake)

And nearly two hours later - cookies! I talked up the baking while were outside with Holly and he was excited to watch. 

It was all his idea to bring in the stool when he realized it might take "a little while" for the cookies to finish.

They were delicious!

those are lunch leftovers ... green beans and oranges to balance out the cookie!

...a little more play time (flashcards and legos) and all too soon it was time to go home. 

A day full of sunshine. literally and figuratively!

*We both thank you for all the good wishes ... two days in, it's still tough...

Tuesdays with Charlie | Out and About.

There are certainly minutes of Tuesdays that seem to drag...but on the whole, my days with Charlie fly by. He must think so, too, because when his mom asks him what we did, his first answer is "I don't know". That's why I take photos (and write blog posts)!

My plan for today was "our storytime" at the library (I wanted to let Charlie choose the books and I would read them), followed by lunch out (pizza) and, after nap, a few minutes at his neighborhood playground, hopefully with his mama and Sam. We added in a few more things (cereal with milk, mopping, puzzles, legos, bed-making, taking Holly out to tinkle) and it was a full day.

The library was a big hit. Especially when I let Charlie roam the shelves - all by himself! - to choose the books. We read maybe ten and I honestly can't say any of them were memorable, but they were all new to him and that was a plus!

Pizza out was also a hit. I didn't order well (we shared a pizza with barbecue chicken, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes - yikes, right?!) but Charlie didn't mind. He had crayons and a kids menu to color, milk in a cup with a straw. a clear view of the kitchen (and the wait staff) ... and hockey on the big screen TV. plus plenty of pizza. I think he ate more than I did!

The highlight of the day, though, was the playground. We didn't even need jackets. Katie and Sam met us and we enjoyed 20 minutes of swing and 30 seconds of monkey rings. Charlie loves going up high and I took a bunch of photos of him having a great time...these two capture the gist. 

Katie goes back to work next Tuesday. The rhythm of our days together is going to change. But even as I type this, I realize the rhythm of pretty much every Tuesday is just a little different. Thank you for following along with our story!

Tuesdays with Charlie | One Story.

A few of y'all might remember the "sleeping bag days" (which officially ended way back in September shortly after he turned two). He's been doing great in his big boy bed, but our furnace is on the blink (thankfully it waited until after the ice storm) and the repairman showed up just before nap. The attic door to said furnace is right outside Charlie's room... and it seemed prudent to have nap back downstairs today.

Much has changed since those summertime sleeping bag days

a pillow and a new sleeping position for starters... and of course now there's a blanket. and little Holly  in the picture. literally. they're really becoming friends. not always with me in the middle.

Two is turning out to be a very fun age!

Tuesdays with Charlie | Four Things.

It seems like ages since Charlie spent a Tuesday with me. and even more than ages since we spent the day here at home. We did start out with a visit to Starbucks - his mama told me he'd been asking for "steamed milk" (seriously... but what else would you expect from a two year old who loves broccoli, cucumber and hummus?!) and it seemed like a fun way to ease into the day.

Once we got back to my house, though, Charlie turned on his own barista skills. Weeks back, Vicki suggested Charlie might like a coffee maker and she was right. He took my order "tall dark roast with a little milk" and proceeded to brew.

...sadly, the coffee was too hot to drink (ever!) "No Marmie, it's too hot!" (thank goodness for that Starbucks earlier.)

So we moved right into game #2. which started as stringing beads (naming colors and shapes and working on fine motor skills) and morphed so quickly I almost missed it into jumping in and out and all around a circle on the ground.

Whew... time for lunch. and then time for stories. There is SNOW in our forecast for the weekend, so I chose one of my favorite books about snow. and red mittens. and Grandmas who know all the right things to do.

Charlie loves this book (I'm pretty sure I did too ... sadly, it's now out of print).

And finally, the fourth thing. Charlie took a great nap. and I made it all the way through the first cable chart on my Rob Roy hat. A few tricky rounds makes for perfect nap-time entertainment!

Today's Tuesday with Charlie was a welcome respite from thinking about 2017 and all the "new" for me. new intentions. a new word (!?!). a new planner. new habit(s). It was nice to simply enjoy the "new" experiences Charlie shares with me every week.

xo, M.

A Morning with Sam.

Charlie's dad is on vacation this week, so Charlie enjoyed a leisurely breakfast out with his parents. And I got to spend two whole hours alone with Sam. This is the first time Katie's left him when he's been awake; I was honored.

She asked for photos and of course I obliged. Look at that tongue.

and those blue eyes.

I finally got a little smile...which I thought might even turn into a laugh.

Sadly not.

...and a few minutes later playtime was over.

(knitting time!)

And one last chapter in the sample knitting saga. Early this morning I wove in all the ends and steam-blocked the seams. I tried it on and it fits beautifully (whew!) Then I shared a quick photo with the designer and here's what she wrote back.

I feel better about the whole experience already :-)

Tuesdays with Charlie | Currents.

...from the eyes of a two-year old (who's 27 months old today)!

wearing "my jacket and the hat that Marmie knit me."

loving anything that makes him tall.

smiling for his mama.

stirring macaroni and cheese.

waiting (impatiently) for the cookies to cool.

practicing fine motor skills with a new set of beads

there was also

wondering "where's Holly?" and feeding her a cookie.

listening to Marmie read The Christmas Crocodile*.

singing Jingle Bells.

playing with a flashlight in the dark corners of the mudroom and the coat closet.

Happy Tuesday!! (and thank you all for sharing this Marmie journey with me!)

*Marmie can't help but wonder if that Bonny Becker is the one she knows?!